New Mexico Tech has made two significant changes to the May 15 ceremony -- the start time and the location.

The 2010 commencement will be in the amphitheater area north of Macey Center.Map by Dan Jones/Tech Senior Architect

Ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m., an hour earlier than usual. Also, the event will be held on the north side of Macey Center, adjacent to the Tech golf course. The reception will be on the amphitheater on the south side of Macey Center.

The staging, seating and audience configuration will be virtually identical to recent years. Graduates and faculty will line up for the processional in the fairway of the eighth hole of the golf course.

As with the 2009 ceremonies, the event will be streamed live via the Internet, thanks to the university's Distance Education division.

The main campus is undergoing a massive construction project to replace the hot water loop. Initially, contractors were asked to complete their work near Brown Hall in time for graduation; however, as work began in early March, campus construction coordinators realized that ground restoration would not be completed to a satisfactory degree.

Registrar Sara Grijalva said the commencement planning committee members are excited about the alternate venue. The site includes ample parking, closer public restrooms and an appropriately scenic backdrop.

The 2010 commencement weekend will have two new features on Friday, May 14, the day prior to graduation.

Most notably, members of the Class of 2010 are invited to blow up their school mementos that they’d rather forget. Students are asked to contribute items of their college years that they would rather forget about – alarm clocks, tests and papers, and maybe a photo of their “favorite” professor – which will then be detonated. Event sponsor Dr. Van Romero said textbooks are acceptable, but he’d hope students recycle their books or keep them. Staff from the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center will chronicle the proceedings in video and photos.

The first 200 graduates (and their guests) will be bused up ‘M’ Mountain to an EMRTC test site. There, students will toss their soon-to-be-destroyed items into a pit. From the overlook site, students and guests will watch their least-favorite items be blown up by high explosives.

Members of the Class of 2010 have been notified about the event via email, which also included registration information.
The objects to be blown up are subject to approval by EMRTC personnel. Electronics may be blown up only upon approval. No chemicals, combustibles, aerosols, glass, batteries, or liquids will be accepted.

The event is sponsored by the office of Research and Economic Development, the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center and Van Romero, Class of 1977.

After having a blast on the mountain, all graduates are invited to a special reception. The Alumni Relations Office is hosting a commencement reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 14, at the Golf Course Pavilion. The Class of 2010, their families and all alumni are invited to attend. The reception will have complementary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.

Although the list of graduates will not be approved until the day before the ceremony, Friday, May 14, the Registrar’s Office expects the university to award a record number of degrees. Including August and December 2009 graduates, more than 350 graduates are eligible to walk, including 1 associate’s degree, 196 bachelor’s degrees, 136 master’s degrees and 18 doctorates.